Uncharted Waters III: Costa del Sol - Far-off Sea of a Distant Country [Extended w/ DL Link]

Before we begin, I would like to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for my life, and all the gifts which I've been given in it, including the ability to make this extension. Your name be glorified, my Savior, even in something as small as this. Amen.

MP3 Link:
Uncharted Waters Extensions Folder:

Enjoying your voyage with us, viewer? We of Andante Expeditionary Tours MM always seek to provide optimum comfort and superior listening music for your listening pleasure while traveling! I'm your captain, host and guide, Alkahest. Those are quite a few hats to wear, aren't they? Well, it's a tough job, but somebody's got to write about it! Now sit right back and you'll hear a tale; a tale of an ill-fated game. It sailed from its Oriental port of Cipangu and soon disappeared into the mists of obscurity... and not because it was stranded on some uncharted desert isle! What really happened was this...

Released on PC in 1996, Daikoukai Jidai (Age of Exploration, known to us internationally as Uncharted Waters) III: Costa del Sol was the third entry to KOEI-Tecmo's renowned series and a radical departure from the franchise norms. It did away with the traditional character storylines of Uncharted Waters 1 and 2, making your choice of player character/nation (reduced to Spain and Portugal) largely unimportant. Land exploration was greatly expanded, languages became more important as you'd need interpreters or teachers to be able to undertake certain quests or deal in foreign lands, and players would have to woo and wed barmaids to sire children to carry on the seafaring tradition/game. Controversially, slaves were introduced as a kind of tradegood you could buy and sell (which was thankfully later patched out) as well.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Costa del Sol failed spectacularly to resonate with its Japanese audiences and to the best of my knowledge, was never released internationally as a result. There is a stunning dearth of information to be found on it even in Japanese web searches I conducted -- I couldn't even find any good pictures from it!

It's a shame because I do think the developers had some cool ideas (land exploration!) which were perhaps a bit ahead of their time, or poorly implemented. In the end, they tried to blaze a new trail, and for that they have my respect. But for all the game's many shortcomings, nobody could argue that its soundtrack was among them.

Composed by Nobumatsu Takagi, 遥かな異国の海 was google translated as 'Far sea of foreign country'. I decided to title it 'Far-off Sea of a Distant Country' to sound cool and nifty! My JP cheat sheet notes that this plays in "Indian Ocean ・ Pacific ・ Northern Caribbean etc" -- not very specific, but it certainly does have an exotic sound to it. Again, you hear sailing themes by setting sail from a port in that region and then it plays until you reach your next destination (wherever in the world that happens to be).

I find myself thinking mostly of the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea when I hear this; the instruments suit that region well I think. Although a mainly tranquil melody, there is a slight undercurrent of ... what do I want to call it? Caution? Trepidation? Well, we are talking about sailing in remote locations and not always under the best of conditions. But as long as that fiendish firebird thingy from UW: New Horizons doesn't pop up to toast our sails or our sailors, we should be good.

Have we truly reached 18 out of 30 releases this month? Gosh, we're getting closer to the end! But never fear. I promise this voyage will be one to remember, and that even greater musical treasures lie waiting in the future. I hope you'll enjoy, and will tune in again tomorrow as we make port in the lands of Southeastern Asia, on our quest to explore the Orient in all its splendor. Take very good care, and may God bless!?

Disclaimer: This MP3 extension was uploaded purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way profits me. All rights are reserved to their respective creators, and videos are subject to removal per their request.

Okay, seagulls are one thing, but why are there Komodo Pups from Chrono Cross dancing on the crow's nest?

(lizard snarl-chattering)

Oh, you thought this theme sounded a bit like the one of Lizard Rock and decided to tag along? Alrighty then. Welcome aboard! You're appointed as the official AET2k Lizards of the Dance troupe for the l'Andante.

(happy lizard growls and hoots)

Your pay? Eh, don't eat the tourists and you can have your pick of yummy treats from the ship's food stores. Which does NOT include my crew.

(disappointed hisses, followed by acquisecing grumble-mutters)

I'm glad we have an accord. Hmm? Oh, hey viewer! No, I don't speak their language. I just happen to have Body Language skill from Uncharted Waters Online. It's surprisingly versatile!

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